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P. F. RANDOLPH. DRO-PPERS-FOR FERTILIZERS.

Patented Sept. 19;1876.

N.PETERS. PHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D (L l Toall whom "it mag concern: a Be it known that 1, PETER F. RANDOLPH, I of Liberty Corner, in the countyot' Somerset PETER :1 ;teammatemeterco sts;,N q R EY.

A MP'RQV MEnTII D ROPPERS FORFERTlLlZERS.

y Specification forming part of Letters' Patent No. S2 3si dated september 19, 1576'; applicationfl led andState of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement inDroppers for Fertilizers, 850.: and I dohereby declare that the.

\ followingwis afull and exact description of the same,1wference being had to the accompany-j ng drawings, and rto thelettersof reference markedthereon.

Thisinvention is desi ned for dropping fer-t tiliz ers and analogous snbstances,'such as'gua-- no, plaster, phosphates, ashes, 8270.; and it con-- sists, inainly,ifirst, in the combination of a plunger having anupper and lower valve, and

a barrel or cylinder open at both ends, with a hopperattached toione end of the barrel; second, in the combination of suitable discharg.

ing mechanism with a flexible vibrating hopper, adapted by means of its movement, to

prevent the sticking or clogging of its contents third, in the means employed to adjust' the valves, for the purpose of determining the amount delivered at. each discharge; and,

" fourth, in certain details of construction ,which,

described hereinafter.

In the drawings, Figure l is *a perspective VIEW, representing the manner. of carrying in connection with the foregoing,w-ill be fully and using my invention; Fig. 2, a vertical ele- Vation, partially in section .Fig. 3, an enlarged .View of the upperpart, and Fig. 4 a detached view-of the protecting-skirt.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe fully its construction and manner of operation.

A representsthe frame of the dropper, consisting of the side bars a a, terminating at their lower ends in a rod, (1 and united above by the I intermediate barrel or cylinder, as. shown. a represents a transverse bar of semioval or semicircularform, uniting the sides of .the frame-work, and provided with a central guiding-opening for the lower end of the plunger,which is adapted, by means of its'location, to. limit the movement of the latter in a downward direction. 13 represents the barrel orcylindcr, secured between the side bars of the frame at their upper ends, which is open at both ends, but is provided above with an ontwardlyprojecting flange,b,'as shown. b

represents clamping-ring, which] is secured to thehange by means of screws, as shown.

0 represents the hopper, consistin g essentially.

of abottomless sack, secured below to the u ppei end of thebarrel by means of the clamp ing rfing, and provided above at its upper edge with'a distending rod or wire. D represents a plunger, consisting of the stem orflsliat't d,

provided above with the adjustable handled, as shown. Yd? representsthe upper valve, pro vided below with a flat face; and (1 the lower valve, provided above witha conical face, as

shown.

. r The valves, it will be observed, are'rendered 1 adjustableupon the shaft by means of screw- "threads so that they maybe located at any desired points upon the shaft, and-may also 1 be adjusted relativelytoeach other, for the purpose of determining the amount of fertilizerjto be delivered at each "discharge.

01 represents a rubber ball, or its equivalent, located upon. the shaft, below the lower valveand d an ad'ustin -nut b means of p which it-svertical position maybe determiped.

11 represents a ring or casting, located upon the shaft and held from downward movement :bymeansof a supporting pin, but which s free to revolve thereon in' either direction, as shown. d represents connecting rods or wires, by means of which the ring orcasting 61 upon the shaft is attached to the distendingwire of the hopper;

E, Fig. 1, represents a bag provided with a N strap, 6, having a buckle, to permit it to be adjusted for different persons. 0 represents aconnecting-chute uniting the lower part of thebag with the vibrating hopper, which is provided with a holding-strap, 6 as shown.

F represents a step, consisting of a blockor ball, of any suitable shape, size, or material, which is secured in any proper manner to the lower portion of i the frame. I preferably, however, make the lower face flat, or nearly so, in order that the implement may not enter the ground; and the upper surface conical, in

order that it may not retain any" fertilizer which may chance to fall upon it.

G represents an auxiliary skirt depending from the barrel, which may be employed to prevent the improper scattering of the fertiltoward thecenter between the valves. I action tends, therefore, to deliver the material the material to be dropped and properly placed. upon the person of the operator, its contents will be gradually delivered through the conne'cting-chute into the flexible hopper, The hopper being filled, the elevated plunger may be depressed, the implement being supported by its step resting upon the ground, when, consequently, a. charge of material, depending ,in amount upon the distance between the valves, will be carried. through the barrel and delivered through its open end below.

Thedischarging actien is facilitated by the conical face of the lower valve, which affords no resting-place for the mateiial, exceptingwhen within the barrel, and also by the shock which is imparted to the plunger by the con-v tact-of its rubber ball with the transverse stop-bar, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. As

the plunger descends, the upper edge of the flexible hopper descends, of course, with it,

and the sack assumes the form shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2. Then, however, the plunger rises again, the hopper, of course, is distended again, and its contents are necessarily thrown This into the space bet ween the valves, and also violently ag'itates the same, so that sticking or clogging is impossible.

Some of the advantages of the described con- I struction are as follows: The implement, by

means of its adjustable handle and strap, is adapted for men of different sizes. The valves are readily adjusted to discharge the material inuniform quantities of any desired ameunt. By the employment of the flexible hopper its contents are so violently agitated that 0 0% gin g or sticking is impossible. By arresting the motion of the plunger the material is discharged with sufficient force to properly scatter the per.

same. By the employment of the balhs tep below, the implement is prevented from entering the earth. This step also is adapted to throw off any fertilizer which may fall upon it. By means of the skirt it is possible to sow with as great uniformity in windy weather as in still.

Having thus, fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The eombination of a plunger or valvestem, having an upper and lower valve and abarrel or cylinder open at both ends, with a hopper attached, to one end of the barrel, as

described. I

per and lower valves, and the means for adjusting them, substantially as described.

3. In combination with the plunger and cylinder, the. conical valve, substantially as des bed.

4. In combination with the plunger, the rubber ball and stop=bar for arresting its move- V ment, as described.

The wnb na' o of th has d e tnshutew th t e pl nger and vibrating p- 6. In dropper for fertilizers, the combinatio f a ba re 91" yli der, open at b h n aplunser p o d w h m ur nava res a a flexible hopper ad pte to brate, s described.

7. d op-per r er es, e c mb tion of a barrel 'or'eylinder open at both ends,

' a p unge prov de w th 1ea$ r e a s an a, stop'to-arrest the motion of the. plunger, as described. I 7

8. In a dropper for fertilizers, the combination of? a fixed portion adapted to'rest upon the earth, having a barrel or cylinder open at both n s, a b at ng plunger nsm as ri svalves, and a flexible hopper vibrating with the plunger, as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this 28th day of February, 1876.

PETER F. RANDOLPH.

Witnesses EQH, JAMES MlLnna, Jr.

2. In combination with the plunger, the up-' 

